by withahip » Sun Oct 19, 2008 12:20 am
Men fall for dragon tattoo hoax
Two Indonesian men fell for a hoaxer who promised them work if they had dragon tattoos covering their entire faces.
They were told they would be employed as intelligence officers if they had dragons permanently inked onto their faces.
But after undergoing the painful process, it emerged that Nanang, 30, and Bambang, 40, had been the victims of a cruel hoax.
The man purporting to be a government official was actually a "mystic" who the two men believe put them into a trance in order to convince them to have the tattoos.
"I was half conscious when the shop owner tattooed my face, and didn't think it was a con," Bambang said. "I just realized it was a con on Friday night. I was shocked and I cried."
Sawiyono, the village chief who informed the men of the job offer after receiving a text message from the hoaxer, has promised to help them have their tattoos removed.
"I don't know why I believe that person, I feel half conscious when I follow the man's instructions. I am fully responsible for the mistake," he said.
Indonesian police said it was the third such hoax to have been reported in recent months.